Amazed
by becca85
Summary: When her father had first mentioned the impending trip to visit Karen's widowed mother, Sarah had argued at every possible opportunity.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm still working on the multi-chapter fanfic I mentioned in my first posted Labyrinth fanfic (9 chapters, 40 pages and still going strong!), but I wanted to take another break. This has been floating around in my mind for a week or so, so I figured I should probably jot it down. Now that this story is finished, I feel I should mention that this story was not supposed to be anywhere near this long. I had estimated about 1500 words, or 2-3 pages. The idea that inspired this is almost the entirety of chapter three, but I decided to write an intro leading to it and, well, I lost control. I do like how the music box worked its way into the story, though, and I hope you do, too. Lastly, this is pre-movie.**

**DISCLAIMER: ****I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Jim Henson. I borrowed them for the entertainment and amusement of my audience. **

**SUMMARY: ****When her father had first mentioned the impending trip to visit Karen's widowed mother, Sarah had argued at every possible opportunity.**

**GENRE: Fantasy**

**RATING: G**

**DATE: March 22, 2013**

**::~*~::**

Sarah frowned as she stared out the car window, the countryside flying past in browns and greens, interspersed with the occasional blue. She held a red leather-bound book in her lap, but the book was closed at the moment, its gold embossed title reflecting the increasing sunlight. To anyone who may have looked at her, she appeared to be entranced with the landscape outside, but that was as far from her mind as could possibly be.

Sarah's father, Robert, was driving; his wife, Karen, was seated in the passenger seat. Sarah was crammed into the backseat next to Toby in his car seat with Merlin lying asleep on the floor under Toby's feet. Sarah was envious of the dog. If only she could sleep as easily in the small car with all the noise that was present, but she had given up on that an hour into the drive. Robert and Karen were carrying on an animated conversation in the front seat and Toby was gurgling happily as he kept bouncing his feet up and down, trying hard to reach Merlin's shaggy body and squealing in delight every time he managed it. Sarah gritted her teeth as she tried to focus on her thoughts. She gripped the book tighter in her hand.

She knew the book backwards and forwards so now she was trying to imagine the story played out in her mind, like a movie, since reading in a moving vehicle had started to give her a headache, but she couldn't focus. "Dad," she cried exasperatedly, "can we stop, please?" She didn't care that she had just interrupted their conversation and she didn't care that they were only an hour from their destination. She just knew that if she didn't get a few minutes of peace and quiet…well, she didn't want to think about it.

Believing she was going to have to argue for the stop, she was mildly surprised when Karen said, "I think that's a good idea. Toby is probably due for a diaper change anyways. There's a turnoff about five miles up the road." She turned to look at Sarah, but Sarah was already back to staring wistfully out the window. Karen sighed and turned back to the front, ignoring Robert's concerned expression. Someday, she'd get through to her stepdaughter.

**::~*~::**

Sarah stood on the side of the road, staring out across the vast valley open before her. The sun was climbing higher and higher in the sky, bathing the scene in golden light. She could faintly hear the sounds of her family behind her. Karen was changing Toby's diaper as she cooed gently to him and her father was studying the map he had spread out across the hood of the car.

She walked a little bit farther, finding a nice tuft of soft grass to sit on. She watched as Merlin bounded down the slight slope of the hill they were on, chasing a rabbit he had found in a bush while relieving himself. She laughed as the rabbit fled down a narrow hole, Merlin howling at the escape of his quarry.

Breathing deeply, she relished the few minutes of solitude she could grab. When her father had first mentioned the impending trip to visit Karen's widowed mother, Sarah had argued at every possible opportunity, but she quickly discovered that their minds wouldn't be changed. Resolving herself to the inevitable, she decided she didn't have to be happy about it.

"Sarah!" her father's voice called to her from the car. Groaning, she pretended she hadn't heard him and continued watching the light playing across the valley. Far off in the distance, the sunlight glittered over a small pond, illuminating it like a treasure trove. She smiled at the beautiful sight. Her smile faded as her father called, louder and more insistent. Climbing to her feet, she whistled for Merlin to follow her. He seemed offended at the very thought of leaving his prey and he howled his indignation. Sarah whistled again and started walking away. Merlin looked from the hole, to Sarah, and back to the hole. Howling once more in defeat, he trotted after Sarah, completely missing the two long ears that poked out from the hole behind him.

**::~*~::**

Sarah suppressed a yawn as they pulled up the long winding drive of the country cottage where Karen's mother, Lydia, lived. Karen's father had passed away several years ago, and Lydia eventually took up permanent residence in the small cottage that had previously been just a vacation property for their family.

Sarah had to admit that it was actually quite beautiful. Her eyes surveyed the property as they drew closer to the building. Flowers of every shape and color bloomed everywhere. They grew in little plots of land scattered around the cottage; they grew in window boxes hanging off of every window; they even grew in carefully manicured plots around the bases of several fruit trees. Vines crept up the white-washed exterior of the cottage, giving the building an appearance of being at home within its natural surroundings. Immaculately pruned bushes guarded the doorway. Even a wreath of summer greenery hung proudly on the front door.

Despite how against the trip she had been, upon seeing the grounds now, she felt it might not have been such a bad idea. Her eyes flicked over to Robert and Karen before returning to the window. She'd never admit that to them, though.

Failing to hide another yawn, she tried to keep her exhaustion at bay, but once the car stopped and the doors opened, the heavy perfume of fresh flowers overpowered her and she felt like she could happily sleep amidst their colorful petals forever. In the words of Anne of Green Gables, there was so much "scope for the imagination" to be found here. Sarah grinned in spite of herself.

Merlin had bolted from the car the second the door opened, almost tripping Karen with his hasty departure. It seemed like he had finally gotten tired of Toby's antics, despite the fact that the baby had fallen asleep twenty minutes before. Sarah struggled to make her sleepy limbs cooperate, stumbling tiredly out of the vehicle. Lydia had appeared in the doorway of the cottage, happy to see the new arrivals. Sarah closed the car door behind her and stood awkwardly next to it as Lydia rushed forward, catching up Karen and a sleepy Toby in her arms.

Sarah had only met the woman once before. She had come to stay with them right after Toby was born, helping out around the house while Karen recovered from the birth. Sarah had been in one of her rebellious stages, angry at the arrival of her new sibling and angry at Robert and Karen for making it happen. She had spent so much of her free time locked in her room when the weather was bad, or outside in the park near her house when the weather was pleasant. She had barely spoken five words a day to Lydia during that time and Lydia, to her credit, never bothered Sarah at all. After she had departed, Sarah had resented her. Even though she knew it was mostly her own fault that Lydia never interacted with her during her stay, she still resented her, convinced that Lydia didn't care about her at all because she wasn't her own flesh and blood. Now that they were thrust into one another's company again, Sarah wasn't sure how to feel about it.

She never really got the chance to think much about it as Lydia wrapped her in a bear hug after greeting her father. Sarah stood frozen, unsure of how to respond. Lydia broke the embrace and grabbed some bags that Robert had pulled out of the trunk. She started to haul them to the house, ignoring her daughter's pleas that she not strain herself. Sarah watched her disappear inside before stuffing her book into her pocket and grabbing a couple of bags that still sat on the ground. Her father shut the trunk and picked up the last of the luggage, flashing a small smile before leading the way up the path. Sarah hefted the bags more comfortably in her hands before following him.

**::~*~::**

Sarah walked slowly around the lounge, examining the trinkets and figurines that seemed to be everywhere. She was amazed at how uncluttered it all looked, considering how many objects were there, but Lydia had tastefully arranged everything around the room, making it pleasing to look at, instead of painful.

Sarah's eyes alighted on a bookshelf in the corner and she moved over to peruse the books lining its shelves. She could hear Toby's tired cries drifting down from the second floor. Lydia had taken Robert, Karen and Toby upstairs to show them to the room she had prepared for them, looking to settle them in before she showed Sarah to her room.

Sarah's lips silently read the titles as she scanned the book spines. There were lots of books on historical fiction present, so Sarah assumed Lydia enjoyed those types. Her concentration was broken by the soft tinkling of musical notes coming from behind her. Thinking Lydia had come back down, she turned around, expecting to be shown to her room. Instead she was greeted with an empty room. She frowned in confusion, before her attention was captured by the source of the noise. A small porcelain doll, dressed in the most beautiful dress Sarah had ever seen, stood on a pedestal within a golden frame. Her fragile arms were covered by white gloves that went up past her elbows and a miniscule diamond necklace graced her throat. She turned slowly on her pedestal and Sarah watched as the sunlight filtering through the windows glittered off of her dress. Tiny jewels in her raven hair sparkled against the dark backdrop as she turned. Sarah held her breath in rapture as she watched the figure continue to turn. The music stopped abruptly, and so did the doll, but Sarah stood transfixed by the sight. The doll looked a little bit like her.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Sarah jumped at the voice behind her, almost causing the music box to fall to the floor. Quick reflexes prevented that from happening. Lydia was standing under the arch that separated the room from the hallway. Sarah merely nodded.

"Every summer in June, there are traveling merchants who come from all around to sell their wares at a large outdoor market in the village. It lasts about a week and the items for sale vary from stall to stall and even year to year. If you see something you like, you better snatch it up quick, because the chances were, you wouldn't see it again. I bought her at that market last year. It's so strange, but I can envision that stall as though I were just there yesterday." She had moved closer to Sarah and reached around her to pick up the doll. She gazed silently at it for several seconds. "It seemed so magical and mysterious. Most of the items in the stall were crystal spheres, but there were other items on display as well. There were a few other music boxes, in addition to this one; small figurines of inhuman creatures, beautiful and terrifying at once; framed pieces of art showing places you'll never see in this world; but, the spheres were so impressive. They came in all shapes and sizes. There were even different colored ones. In many of them, scenes and images were suspended within their depths. The proprietor of the stall only smiled and said it was his little secret when I asked him how he made them. And, the proprietor? He had the most unusual eyes I've ever seen. One was darker than the other; definitely something anyone would remember who had seen them."

Sarah was staring at Lydia in wonder. "You don't strike me as the type of person who would be interested in this kind of stuff."

Lydia laughed. "Actually, I'm not. But, I was drawn to her," she said, holding the box tenderly in her hand. "She was on a table out at the front of the stall. The sun was hitting her just right and she was…dazzling, for lack of a better word. I was surprised no one else had snatched her up before then. I don't know why I bought her, as she doesn't even fit in with my other trinkets, but," her voice trailed off. She seemed lost in thought. She looked curiously at Sarah and Sarah could only feel confused. Lydia reached out and placed the box in Sarah's hands. "I think she was really meant for you."

Sarah looked down at the music box in her hands, before hurriedly placing it back on the table. "I can't possibly accept this."

"I want you to have her. I truly think she was meant for you. She even looks a lot like you."

Sarah wanted to protest, but she didn't want to come off as ungrateful. Compromising, she replied sincerely, "We're going to be here for a few days. I'll think about it."

Lydia seemed satisfied with that. "Come on. I'll show you to your room." They left the lounge and Sarah picked up her bags from the front hallway before following Lydia up the stairs. She could hear movement from above them as Robert and Karen unpacked in the room they had been given.

"Karen tells me you enjoy reading books about fantasy places and magical kingdoms." Sarah groaned inwardly. _Here it comes. She's going to tell me to stop spending so much time with my head in the clouds. _However, she was unprepared for what Lydia said next. "I think you would have loved seeing that booth and everything he had for sale." Sarah almost tripped at the top of the stairs. Lydia pretended she hadn't seen and led the way down a short hallway opening a door at the end. Standing aside, she let Sarah enter the room first.

The room reminded Sarah of the ocean, and not just because there was a large framed painting of a sandy coastline hanging above the bed. The color scheme was white, light blue, and tan and the furniture was a combination of wicker and wood materials painted white. A fresh bouquet of blue hydrangeas in a clear vase sat on the nightstand, their faint scent perfuming the air. The bed was covered in white linen sheets with blue accents. Blue curtains covered the window, but they were drawn back enough that Sarah could see a thick window seat looking out over a large green field. She smiled as she saw Merlin running unchecked across the field, scaring birds left and right. She wasn't worried about him running away. He always stayed close by her. She was actually more worried about him destroying Lydia's flower beds, but she didn't seem to mind him running around. At least, she hadn't said anything about it.

She set her bags on the bed and pulled her book out of her pocket, setting it down on the nightstand. Lydia looked over her shoulder and read the title. "Do you like labyrinths and mazes?"

Sarah shrugged as she unzipped one bag. "I've never really been in one. My mom took me to a fall carnival once when I was six. They had rides and games and lots of food, but they also had a corn maze. We didn't end up going inside of it because it scared me, but now I think it would be fascinating. It's just a book, though. Fantasy places and magical kingdoms." She smiled ruefully as she repeated Lydia's earlier words. She started pulling clothes out of her bag and setting them on the bed. As she started pulling the next batch of clothes from the bag, she had to fight back a yawn.

Lydia saw it. "Why don't you rest now? Supper will be ready around seven." With that, she left Sarah alone.

Sarah had only managed to empty one bag into the drawers before she realized she was too tired to continue. Lying down on the bed, she was pleased to see how comfortable it was and before she knew it, she had drifted to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When Sarah awoke, she was momentarily disoriented, not recalling where she was. It took a few more minutes before she had woken up enough to remember that she was at Karen's mother's house. As she rolled off of the bed to her feet, she felt that something was off. Looking around she tried to put her finger on it, but whatever it was, it eluded her. Shrugging, she opened the door and went downstairs.

"Are you feeling alright?" was the first thing to greet her when she walked into the kitchenette. Karen looked up from where she was feeding Toby. She looked worried.

Sarah looked confused. "I feel fine. Why?"

"You slept through supper last night," her father said.

Sarah felt even more confused. "What are you talking about? It's only—" she stopped. The clock on the wall said nine o'clock. _What?_ The sun was shining far too bright for it to be nine o'clock at night. _I really slept the rest of the afternoon and all through the night?_

Lydia bustled over from where she had been cooking up a storm at the stove. She gently pushed Sarah towards a chair and before Sarah could comprehend what was happening, a plate heaped with eggs, ham, toast and pancakes was set before her. Her eyes widened at so much food on one plate. Lydia moved away, only to reappear with a large glass of orange juice. "You must be famished." Without even waiting for an answer, she started clearing Karen and Robert's finished plates from the table. She came back to sit next to Sarah, a folded piece of paper in her hand. "I've got a surprise for you." She set the paper on the table and pushed it towards Sarah. She looked very excited about it, but Sarah felt a little apprehensive.

Sarah opened it. It was a map. She raised an eyebrow in mild amusement. There was even a giant red "X" in the upper right-hand corner. She set it back down on the table, unsure what to do with it. Finally, she said, "Don't you think I'm a little old for treasure maps?"

Robert seemed on the verge of chastising his daughter, but Lydia didn't seem perturbed in the slightest. "Not for this one. Trust me, you'll love it. It's meant to be done in solitude, so you can leave your noisy family behind." At this, Karen seemed on the verge of chastising her mother, but changed her mind. Sarah decided right then that she liked Lydia. A lot. Still, she was uncertain about the treasure map, but she chose not to say anything else.

**::~*~::**

As if she was eager to see Sarah on her way to solving the map, Lydia practically shoved her out the door after her last bite of food. Sarah stood on the front step, and stared dumbly at the closed door in front of her. She was starting to think the map was more of a way to get her out of the house than for any real desire to show her a surprise. Before she turned to start on her way, the door opened again and Lydia shoved something into her hands. The door slammed shut again.

Sarah stared in surprise at her book in her hands. Thinking about demanding some answers, she raised her fist to pound on the door, but Merlin's sudden appearance from around the side of the house stopped her. Ignoring the fact that he had probably run himself ragged all over the large plot of land that belonged to Lydia, he waited expectantly for Sarah to take him for his customary morning walk. Sarah smiled in spite of herself, all questions having fled from her mind. Stepping onto the path, she started out, Merlin trotting along on her right side.

**::~*~::**

After studying the map a little more intently, Sarah couldn't help grinning at the cartoonish illustrations that were meant to guide her way. The first thing she was looking for appeared to be a large willow tree, but the illustration was drawn with a cheerful face on the trunk, an interesting contrast to the _weeping_ willow. It wasn't until she found the tree that she was amazed to find there really were knots in the trunk of the tree that did resemble a cheerful expression. She laughed. Merlin started sniffing around the base of the tree as Sarah looked down to find the next landmark on her map.

**::~*~::**

She should have known that nothing should surprise her at this point, but a large boulder that looked like a mouse wearing a top hat was her next landmark and, once she found it, she saw that the boulder did indeed look like a mouse wearing a top hat. What a strange formation! She wondered if nature had carved it that way, or if human hands had. Regardless, the surface looked incredibly smooth and weathered.

She looked down at the map, looking to see where she needed to go next. She estimated that she had been out for about thirty minutes so far. It occurred to her then that she really had no idea how to get back to the house. She supposed she could use the map to backtrack, but it was a crude map to follow. Figuring that Lydia wouldn't have sent her out to get hopelessly lost, she decided to just continue on.

**::~*~::**

Her next landmark was a bush that was shaped like an inverted umbrella, sans the pole. Assuming she was looking for a relatively small bush, she almost walked right by it without realizing it. It was a massive bush that was almost as big as her father's car. Standing on her tiptoes to peer across the top, she was satisfied to see the top actually curved down, creating a large, leafy bowl.

Her last landmark looked to be an ordinary building, and she wasn't sure how she would be able to determine what building she was looking for, as there appeared to be no defining characteristics drawn. She was about ready to fold the map up and stuff it in her pocket and just amble along with Merlin at her side, when a small image near the picture of the house caught her attention. Peering at it closely, it looked to be a series of concentric circles, but the inner circles looked warped. "Am I looking for an archery range near a house?" she wondered aloud. It didn't appear to be too far from where she presently was. In fact it looked like she might be able to see it from where she was standing, depending on the elevation around her.

"You must be Sarah."

She shrieked and jumped in fright, twisting around to see who was behind her. Merlin, startled by her shriek, started barking loudly at the new presence.

An older gentleman dressed in dark clothing jumped back at her sudden alarm. "My apologies, miss. I thought you had heard me addressing you."

Sarah could only shake her head, the ability to speak having deserted her temporarily. Her heart was pounding so loudly, she could barely hear the man talk to her. While she was trying to compose herself, she quickly sized him up. He was an older man, perhaps in his late sixties. He had jet black hair streaked through with a considerable amount of gray, and piercing green eyes. He was dressed like he had stepped out of the early part of the century, wearing dark gray trousers, and a starched white collared-shirt with a matching dark gray vest and waistcoat. A hat was held in his hand as he executed a simple bow towards her. Merlin stopped barking his head off, seeing that the man wasn't posing a threat to his mistress…yet. He did continue emitting a low growl which earned him a shushing from Sarah.

He motioned to the map held forgotten in her hands. "You must be Sarah. Your grandmother called me yesterday afternoon and said you would be coming by this morning. I believe what you are looking for is over there." He motioned behind him to where Sarah could just barely make out a huge hedge wall. _That's it? I came all the way over here for that?_

"Would you like me to escort you over there? The ground can be a bit treacherous in some spots." He held his elbow out, in invitation of Sarah taking it.

She took a step back. "Who are you?"

He chuckled softly. "How terribly rude of me. I can't believe I've forgotten my manners. My name is Edward Milson and this is my estate." His hand swept behind him to encompass the whole of the land behind. "The maze has been one of the defining features of this valley for several decades, ever since my forebears, however many 'greats' it goes back," a merry twinkle sparkled in his eyes, "planted the hedges in the 1500s."

Sarah's demeanor perked up when he said _maze_. "That's a maze?" she asked reverently, looking once again at the hedge wall that she could see.

He nodded. "Your grandmother said you were reading a book about a labyrinth and she thought you might be interested in my family's pride and joy. People come from all over to walk its paths. It has many beauties hidden within its embrace. I would tell you what they are, but I don't want to ruin the experience for you. I will reassure you by saying that there are no Minotaurs running around inside, so you're quite safe." His eyes crinkled with mirth. Once again he offered her his assistance in getting her to the entrance, but she politely declined. "As you wish. I believe I will call on your grandmother while you are enjoying your visit here. She wanted me to let you know she will send your father to come get you at sundown. I'd estimate you have several hours to waste."

With another bow to her, he turned and walked up the gravel path. Sarah was well across the field with Merlin jumping around her when she saw an expensive looking black car pull away from the large house Mr. Milson had disappeared into. She waved to him as he went past and then continued forward.

**::~*~::**

**A/N: Two of the landmarks I used are from movies (actually one movie and one television mini-series). Can you figure them out? Sorry for this relatively short chapter, but I wanted the whole maze experience kept in one chapter. The third chapter, which is also the last chapter, is at about 2900 words and will be posted one week from today.**


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah reached the hedge wall ten minutes after she had left Mr. Milson's company. The closer she got, the higher the walls towered over her. They were easily eight feet high. A true maze!

Directly in front of the entrance was a large sign that Sarah assumed would show a map of the hedge maze, but it only gave the history of the maze's birth. In a small box hanging on the bottom right corner of the sign were several pieces of paper. Right above it was a small sign that told the reader that maps were in the box, if they desired to have one; the other option being to just go and follow their own feet. Maps were also scattered throughout the maze if minds were changed.

Sarah thought about grabbing a map, but she decided not to. Where was her sense of adventure if she stuck to a map? She'd done enough of that just getting there. Besides, she could change her mind later if she needed to. Instead, she'd use her book as her guide. Her eyes sparkled with eager anticipation as she pulled the book from her pocket and opened it to the first page. She whistled for Merlin to follow her, and, stepping forward, she entered the maze.

**::~*~::**

The green, leafy walls intimately guarded the path on both sides. The path itself was a dusty dirt, but every so often, Sarah came across sections that were paved with bricks or white stone. Mr. Milson hadn't been lying when he said the maze held many beautiful secrets. Only five minutes into it, Sarah had come to a large open area where a peach tree was in full bloom, ripened fruits hanging heavy on its boughs. It was in the center of the open space, with a small patch of grass surrounding its trunk. Sarah didn't even know how the grass could be such a deep emerald color when it looked to always be in the shade of the massive tree. Elegant stone benches were arranged in a circle around the tree, spaced apart by four to five feet. Sure that no one would be bothered if she helped herself to some of the fruit, she plucked the largest one she could find from its branch and sat down on one of the benches to savor its juicy meat. It had only been an hour or so since breakfast, but the walk to get there had taken its toll. Thinking Merlin was probably starving as well, she broke a large chunk of her peach off the pit and turned to offer it to him. Merlin had collapsed onto the ground next to her and was already snoring loudly.

Content to let him rest for a few minutes, she lay down on the bench and opened her book to where she had last left off. Yes, she knew the story by heart, but there was something thrilling about reading it when she was actually wending her way through a real maze. It wasn't the Labyrinth of her story, but it served just as well when she knew the better alternative only existed in a book.

As she held the book up, it gradually weighed on her arms and her eyes. The clouds drifted soundlessly across the blue sky above, beyond her book, weaving a careless, dreamy spell over her. The book slipped from her hands as her eyes quietly closed.

**::~*~::**

She was awakened by the sensation of something wet tickling her fingers. Laughing in her sleep, she slowly opened her eyes. Merlin was wide awake and standing at attention next to her, his rough tongue eagerly licking the faint peach juice from her fingers. She laughed again and sat up. "Ah, Merlin!" She rubbed his head affectionately, even though he was still attempting to lick her fingers.

Standing up, she stretched, loosening cramped muscles from her short nap on the bench. Sleeping on a stone bench was definitely not one of her better ideas, she thought as she bent down to pick up the fallen book. Looking around, it took her a moment to figure out which opening had brought her to the tree. Grabbing another peach from the tree, she randomly selected one of the other paths, and moved away from the peach tree. The path was narrower than what she had already passed through and paved with ivory colored stones set carefully into their places. As they walked along, Sarah broke pieces of the peach apart and fed them to Merlin, who was quite happy to be enjoying the full fruit instead of what remnants existed on her fingers.

**::~*~::**

The afternoon reached its peak as the sun beat mercilessly down upon her head. Being that it was August, the high temperature was already bad enough, but the sun seemed to be directly over her head and it didn't matter which path she took, she could never find one with enough shade along one side or the other to shelter her and Merlin. After making a few more turns, she found another fruit tree, this one bearing apples, and practically dove for cover underneath the shady boughs with Merlin half a step behind her. Pulling a few apples down, she fed a couple of them to Merlin and started on one herself as she leaned back against the trunk of the tree.

She estimated she had been in the maze for about two hours by that point and already she had seen such wonderful things. Some member of the Milson family must have been quite an admirer of sculptures as she had seen some amazing pieces while in the maze. Her favorite was a beautiful imitation of the Venus de Milo, carved out of white marble, and surrounded by rose bushes in the waning bloom of late summer. She had also seen The Thinker coated in burnished bronze, the heat rising from the sculpture in visible waves. David appeared to have been carved from limestone, but was coated with some kind of varnish or sealant to protect him from the elements.

Having nothing else to do but wait for the sun to start its downward movement, she decided to read another chapter or two from her book. Thirty minutes went by before she judged it was time to move again. Nudging Merlin from his doze with her foot, they left the cool shelter of the tree and went out through one of the many openings. Unlike all the previous open areas and courtyards she had passed through, having walked many paths between them, the next courtyard she came to was just on the other side of the one with the apple tree. It was smaller than the apple tree one, almost one quarter of the size. Four marble columns were situated in the four corners but each was approximately three feet away from the corners of the hedge. Place carefully atop each column was a sphere, each a different color. One was a bright citrus orange; another was a deep ocean blue. The third was a rich earthy brown and the last was a frosty white. The colors were translucent so any observer that looked through the spheres could see beyond in tinted shades. Sarah stood in the midst of them, spinning to study each in turn. A full minute passed before she comprehended what they represented. "The four elements," she whispered. Acknowledging what they stood for, she studied each of them in a new light. She loved how the different angles she looked at them brought the colors to life within. As she circled the orange, it looked as though a fire were raging within; circling the blue looked as though huge waves were roiling upon a tempestuous sea; and so on.

Sarah almost didn't want to leave, but Merlin had caught sight of a bird flying from its safe haven within the walls of the hedge and had given chase. Sarah ran after him, cursing every step of the way as she lost track of where she was going.

**::~*~::**

She had finally caught up to him underneath the branches of another fruit tree, a peach tree, as he kept barking at the bird that had taken up residence within its boughs. At first Sarah thought they had arrived back at the peach tree she had found earlier, but she noticed this one was smaller and there weren't any stone benches arranged around it. Instead this one had a small cluster of benches in one corner as though they were waiting for weary travelers to take their respite in nonchalant conversation. A large arch covered with vines protected the seating from the harsh rays of the sun.

Sarah patted her leg, motioning for Merlin to follow her, but he only came when she reluctantly pulled a peach from the tree and started tempting him with it, all the while leading him away.

Perhaps the most modern object she came across was in the next open space she stumbled upon. A vast sandpit took up almost the entire ground space with only a two foot cement path bordering it on all sides. Standing securely in the midst of the pit was a large playground jungle gym. It was basic when she compared it to some other park playgrounds she had seen, but it also seemed out of place within the maze. Shrugging her shoulders she carefully led Merlin away from the sand before he could get himself dirty by playing, rolling around, and digging in it.

**::~*~::**

An hour later, Sarah found a massive mini maze within the larger hedge maze. Its construction appeared to be solely for the intent of giving adults a chance to rest while their smaller children ran around the two-foot high maze on their own adventures. It was so large that Sarah assumed she was at the center of the maze. She sat down on one of the benches and traced the path of the maze with her eyes. She started to yawn, but she pinched the tender flesh on the inside of her elbow in an effort to stay awake. She wouldn't completely disagree with another short nap, but her joints and muscles were still protesting the last one she had taken on a bench. At the very least, she would try to find another tree with its soft grass and cool shade.

She groaned as she dragged herself to her feet and started off along another path. While the maze was huge, it wasn't big enough to require hours of concentrated effort to solve. It was only taking her that long because she was ambling slowly along, savoring every sight, every sensation, every memory that was etching into her mind. Shortly after her nap, she had decided to make the experience even more fun by pretending she was the heroine in her book. It was easy enough to do with the maze around her. She had never considered acting out her favorite books before, sticking only with scripted plays that were written for stage production. Thinking of all the movies that had been made based off of books, she was surprised she hadn't done it long before.

A short time later, Sarah spied yet another fruit tree, this one bearing lemons. Having no desire to consume the sour fruit, she collapsed onto the soft green grass and was quickly asleep beneath the shelter of the leafy canopy, Merlin curling up beside her.

**::~*~::**

The sun was getting low in the sky when Sarah found the true center. Long before she reached it, a steady roaring sound interspersed with the trickling of water reached her hearing. When she turned the last corner, she was awestruck at the scene before her. Everything she had encountered in the maze was gigantic: the maze itself, the mini maze, the spheres, the trees, even the statues, but nothing had prepared her for what she saw in front of her. The biggest fountain she had ever seen was roaring with life in the center of the paved courtyard. The length and width thereof was easily bigger than the community pool back at home. The top of the fountain was twenty feet above her and it still managed to shoot water another ten feet into the air. Smaller jets in the descending pools also shot water upwards but none as impressive as the one at the top. A gentle breeze brought the mist from the falling water to dance along her body and she relished the coolness it brought to her flushed skin. Not until she saw the abundant amount of water did she realize that she had brought nothing with which to quench her thirst, or even Merlin's.

Merlin had taken one look at the water and charged past her, throwing his entire body into the fountain. Sarah started to yell at him to get out, but she quickly saw that he was paying her no heed and she couldn't blame him. She hadn't considered that this adventure would take all day and she hadn't prepared accordingly. She looked thirstily at the fountain. She just hoped it wasn't chlorinated. Especially since Merlin was lapping the water up like he was fearful it would suddenly disappear.

Stepping forward, she pulled her shoes off, followed by her socks. Rolling up her pant legs, she stepped hesitantly into the fountain. A sigh of breathless contentment escaped her lips as the mere touch of the water rejuvenated her. Carefully stepping around the small geysers, she waded through the shallow pool of water to the ascending basins. Cupping her hands, she filled them with water from the smaller basin and she took a tentative sip, ready to spit it back out and drag Merlin bodily from the fountain if she tasted chlorine.

It tasted as though she was drinking from a crystal clear spring of pure icy water, melted straight from a massive glacier. Naturally, she could not really make such a comparison since she had never drunk water that had come directly from a melting glacier, but she couldn't imagine it would be much different. Cupping her hands again and again, she drank until she was fit to bursting from all the water flowing through her system.

Now that her thirst had been taken care of, she turned to see what Merlin was doing. He was pouncing on a geyser, using his furry paws to cover the jet. Satisfied that he had succeeded, he looked to his left and then to his right. He let out a mighty howl as he noticed more jets spraying water. He pounced on the one on his left, repeating his actions, but the sight of more geysers erupting, including the one he had previously covered, filled him with indignation. He sat back on his haunches and started barking at each geyser as they continued unabated all around him. Sarah chuckled as she watched him. He was soaking wet and she could see areas where his long fur was starting to tangle. He was going to be a beast to brush later.

Sarah waded back to the edge of the fountain and sat down, watching as Merlin started his game again. He seemed determined to stop the gurgling water. Sarah let her feet dangle in the water as she pulled her book out of her pocket. She had made it close to the end and she felt that was as good a time to finish it as any.

**::~*~::**

Sarah hummed a nameless tune as she walked around the exterior of the maze. She wanted to go back through, but as the sun was so low in the sky, she knew she'd still be in there well after dark if she attempted it. Maybe she would come back another day.

Perhaps the most memorable part of the whole experience was how easily it became for her to believe she was the heroine in her book. The deeper into the maze she had gone, the simpler it was for her to act out the scenes from her book. Pretending she was the unnamed heroine from "The Labyrinth," she turned every corner and walked every path as though she would meet her nemesis at any moment. Adrenaline coursed through her body, regardless of the fact that, in reality, no one was pursuing her. It mattered not. She was so immersed in her fantasy that she probably wouldn't have recognized her own father if he was standing right in front of her. Sarah smiled at all the wonderful things her overactive imagination had conjured.

Sarah rounded the corner of the maze and saw the large manor before her. Judging from where the manor was in conjunction with where she presently was and where she had entered the maze, she determined that she had exited the maze on the exact opposite side from where she had started. She started jogging when she saw dust rising from the end of the road that led to the house. Spying two vehicles approaching the house, she recognized the one in front as the one Mr. Milson had left in. The second one was her father's car. Taking one last look at the maze behind her, she openly started running across the field to greet the vehicles. Merlin whimpered as he struggled to keep up, the long day having taken its toll on him.

Yes, tomorrow was another day.


End file.
